this is our "starting point," damning accusations over its targeting of groups connected to the tea party so how deep does this scandal go? she survived trapped underneath rubble for 17 days for the first time in a cnn exclusive we're hearing from the woman who lived through the bangladesh factory collapse. and brad pitt talking about angelina jolie and how millions of women around the world are reacting. it's may 15th. "starting point" begins right now. good morning, everyone. exactly one month after the boston marathon bombings, boston fire chief is coming under fire for his handling of the terror attack. cnn has learned that 13 of 14

deputy fire chiefs have signed a letter of no confidence claiming that he was more of a spectator than a commander at the height of the chaos after the bombs went off. however, the embattled chief tells the boston globe that he believed the situation was under control and he felt no need to add another layer of management to what he calls a complicated scene. the fbi is going to investigate the irs stemming from a watchdog report that the agency deliberately targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny. president obama says it's intolerable and inexcusable. in few hours attorney general eric holder will face questions from congress about this and mo more. brianna keilar is following this for us. >> reporter: last night after reading this report from the inspector general that oversees

the irs, president obama put a statement out, the white house put out a statement from him where he said the irs must apply the law in a fire and impartial way. he said the report shows the agency failed that test and he said he's asked his treasury secretary to hold accountable those who are responsible. the internal revenue service is facing a criminal investigation after a watchdog report found the agency targeted conservative groups starting in 2010. the agency's inspector general found the irs used inappropriate criteria that identified for review tea party and other organizations applying for tax exempt status based upon their names or policy positions instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention. after reading the report tuesday night, president obama called the practice intolerable and inexcusable after promising action monday. >> people have to be held accountable and it has to be fixed. >> reporter: irs officials told

investigators they acted on their own without influence from outside groups. the report says managers were ineffective in overseeing lower level irs employees who don't have sufficient knowledge of the news governing tax exempt organizations. it's not the only controversy the obama administration is facing. expect fireworks today when the republican led house judiciary committee grills eric holder. >> this administration has put a real value on the rule of law and our values as americans. i think the actions that we have taken are consistent with both. >> reporter: tuesday reporters questioned holder at a medicare fraud event and peppered jay carney with questions at the white house briefing. >> the president is a strong defender of the first amendment and firm believer in the need for the press to be unfettered. >> reporter: republicans are

seizing on the new controversies. >> we do know this. we can't count on the administration to be forthcoming about the details of this scandal because so far they've been anything but. >> it lies at the president's feet. these are things going on within his administration targeting opponents. >> i've never seen anything quite like this except in the past during the nixon years. >> i can tell you that the people who make those kind of comparisons need to check their history. >> reporter: the white house has also been plagued recently by questions about whether it downplayed the role of terrorism in that september attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi as president obama was making a claim on the campaign trail about the success his administration had against al qaeda in his first term. that had gone from sort of a right wing obsession to mainstream news recently but i will tell you it's really these controversies over the irs and the department of justice seizing these phone records from the ap that i think are

concerning the white house more certainly on the political front. they see this certainly as more of a liability i think than the benghazi issue. >> they've taken the white house off any other kind of message this week as they've responding to these criticisms and claims, this has been the conversation in washington. brianna keilar, thank you. last week it was the air force and this week the army finds itself in the middle of a sex scandal. a sergeant at ft. hood in texas is accused of sexual assault and prostitution allegations are now swirling around this case as well. cnn's shannon travis is live in washington with the details. what's the latest on this? >> reporter: the latest is that soldiers under investigation and he's been suspended from all duties. we don't know his name yet. the army hasn't released that. we do know that he's a sergeant first class at ft. hood, texas, and the soldier has not been charged. we know the unfortunate irony

here his job in the military is to protect sexual assault and harassment but is under investigation for sexual assa t assault. they are investigating assault and maltreatment of subordinates according to the army and an administration official tells cnn there is a distinct possibility this involves some sort of prostitution related activity. we want to be clear though that investigators have not yet determined if that's the case or even the scope of any potential criminal conduct. >> shannon, when i first heard this story i did a double take. we just heard a story of a soldier assigned to prevent sexual assault now charged with actual assault himself. we did just hear a story like this. what are lawmakers doing to keep this from happening again? >> you would be right to think about the recent allegation of a story like this recently that's because there was an air force officer just last week who was

accused of grabbing a woman in a parking lot. that incident happened just near the pentagon. that service member also worked to prevent sexual assaults and was in a court appearance last week and he did not enter a plea. meanwhile you asked about what officials are doing, the pentagon is outraged by these allegations and are acting swiftly and lawmakers are equally concerned. a new york senator says she plans to introduce legislation this week to remove chain of command influence from prosecution of such offenses. >> all right. shannon travis in washington with this story that keeps on going and in some cases getting worse. appreciate it. attorneys for cleveland kidnapping suspect ariel castro say their client is not the monster everyone claims he is. and they're now revealing how they plan to defend him. pamela brown tracking the latest developments in this case live from cleveland this morning. a lot of people who have been following this story are surprised by what they're

hearing from those defense attorneys, pam. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. defense attorneys spoke to one of our affiliates, wkyz and said that castro will plead not guilty if he faces kidnapping and rape charges with an indictment from a grand jury. the lawyer said that castro has not admitted anything to them. we've been reporting that castro has confessed to authorities during interrogations. that's coming from law enforcement sources with firsthand knowledge of the investigation. we're not the only ones reporting that. our affiliates are reporting that as well. his attorneys are saying that he hasn't admitted anything to them and that they will mount the best defense that they possibly can. also, they talked about how they plan on moving the trial outside of cuyahoga county because of all of the media attention that this case has been getting and they talked about how the portrayal of ariel castro in the media has been unfair. let's take a listen.

>> i think that the initial portrayal by the media has been one of a "monster" and that's not the impression that i got when i talked to him for three hours. he is a human being. what's offensive is that the media and i don't mean it toward you but the media and community wants to demonize this man before they really know the whole story and i think that it's unfair and it's just not equitable. >> reporter: that was castro's attorneys. they know how castro came in contact with the women and an explanation for that will come out in court. also, we're hearing new information this morning from one of our law enforcement sources talking about how castro's behavior toward the women evolved over time and that eventually amanda berry was

treated slightly better than michelle knight and gina dejesus but only by a matter of degrees and that essentially the women were all treated poorly but that the treatment toward amanda berry did evolve and was slightly better than the other women but any notion of a hierarchy with the women is a bit of a stretch according to our law enforcement source. >> pam brown live for us this morning in cleveland. it will be interesting to see what kind of defense they mount and whether they will make those women live through some sort of court spectacle prolonging what's been a very long ordeal for them. thank you very much. a big day in court for o.j. simpson today. he'll testify today in an attempt to get out of prison. disgraced football star is trying to get robbery, assault and kidnapping convictions thrown out. he claims his old lawyer was ineffective and told him he was within his rights to take back property he believed had been stolen from him as long as it was done without trespass or physical force.

simpson did not testify during his 1995 murder trial or the 2008 case that landed him in prison. jodi arias back in court today to begin the sentencing phase of other trial before jurors can consider imposing the death penalty they must answer a key question. was arias cruel when she killed ex-boyfriend travis alexander. arias is now out of a prison psychiatric ward and sent her first tweet. any donations to my family or me or made only at jodi arias is innocent.com. any other source asking for donations is fraudulent. thank you. angelina jolie is receiving overwhelming support after the revelation that she carries a breast cancer gene and underwent breast removal surgery. her biggest supporter is her partner of eight years, brad pitt. he told "usa today" she could have stayed private about it and

i don't think anyone would have been none the wiser with good results but it was important for her to share the story and that others would understand it doesn't have to be a scary thing. in fact, it can be an empowering thing and something that makes you stronger and us stronger. >> wow. ahead on "starting point," a beautiful model's life cut short. a shocking murder for hire case. who the defense is trying to blame next. prince harry takes on american baseball. do the yankees need another big bat? don't they have enough already? changing the world is exhausting business.

with the innovating and the transforming and the revolutionizing. it's enough to make you forget that you're flying five hundred miles an hour on a chair that just became a bed. you see, we're doing some changing of our own. ah, we can talk about it later. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

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♪ the one and only, cheerios how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ welcome back to "starting point." a chilling murder five years ago finally goes to trial today. california prosecutors claim that actress and model julianna redding was killed in a murder

for hire scheme and the woman who killed her is described as a female james bond. >> reporter: more than five years after aspiring actress and model juliana redding was found strangled and beaten do death in her santa monica, california, apartment, her accused killer will stand before a jury. >> this is the first case i ever heard of where a woman is accused of being a hired goon to go beat somebody up. >> reporter: redding was just 21 years old when she left tucson, arizona, to pursue had her dreams of stardom. she had some success. but her dreams were cut short, prosecutors say, by this woman. 47-year-old kelly sue park. they assert park was hired by a physician to kill redding after her father, a pharmacist, pulled out of a business deal with him just five days before she was killed. court documents also allege that the doctor made payments to park totalling more than $250,000

just weeks before redding was killed. however, the doctor who left the country shortly after parks' arrest has never been charged in this case. park remains tree free on a $3. million bond. her lawyers say she's innocent and that prosecution should look at a former boyfriend of redding. they have a strong case against park because her dna was found not only in the victim's apartment but also in her apartment. >> if the jury believes the ex-boyfriend was responsible for this killing, there remains a question how do we explain ms. park's dna being at the crime scene. >> reporter: the trial is expected to last about three months and unlike other murder cases we've seen recently like jodi arias and casey anthony, only portions of this trial will be televised. >> let's talk more about this and other legal news of the day with a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor and civil

attorney. this is such an unusual case. the allegation that it was a female hit man who committed this murder very unusual. >> nice to see you. good morning. it is very unusual. the kinder, gentler gender. you don't see women in these roles especially as a hit woman. in this case you follow the money and they have evidence about the money and dna has to be damning and to blame the boyfriend as i understand it is based on just a statement that he made. it's something that we used to call some other dude did it offense when i was a prosecutor saying that somebody else did it and finger pointing away from you means you have three more pointing back at yourself and that may be the case in this case. >> trying to raise a little bit of doubt or enough doubt because you mentioned kind eer gentler x is not usually rolled up in this. do you think pointing a finger

at the ex-boyfriend could be beneficial for a jury or not? >> i actually do because the case is so weird. it's a head scratcher. the jurors will think there's something really odd here, which there is, that's why we're talking about it. if there's some kind of other explanation or the other suspect that looks to be credible, that could raise reasonable doubt with a jury. this case goes back to 2008 just like joedi arias so i'm sure there's work being done on both sides of the equation. >> we're entering the sentencing phase. do you expect it to be more subdued than perhaps the rest of the entirety of the trial? >> yes. especially because you're going to hear from the victim's family. they can make victim impact statements and that's going to be somber. they've been sitting in that courtroom every day behind the jury looking at the jurors and now they have something to say. it will have a lot of impact.

we're also going hear about aggravation which is cruelty and depravity. we'll hear about that from the medical examiner up first this morning and i think it's a whole different ball game so to speak than what we saw during the course of the trial which was bad enough. this will be a lot worse. >> i want to go to the case of the cleveland kidnappings and defense attorneys saying the media has gone too far. that this man is not a monster. that's been portrayed in a light that does not reflect their client. he made no statements to them indicating any kind of guilt. early on many thought these women would be spared a trial. now you hear from defense attorneys this man is not what he seems. is this standard operating procedure for a new defense team? >> always. you think to yourself if he's not a monster, what is he? something worse. the fact is they're trying to do damage control. i don't know how they can all they should talk about the constitution and a right to a fair trial like the rest of us do but right now he's portrayed as a monster because he is a monster and i think they'll have

a tough time in the days to come and months to come. >> police sources telling cnn there's overwhelming evidence against this man. what do you think -- do you think he would plead not guilty? >> you know, you look at someone like that with his arrogance and what he did and depravity and i think he probably will and probably ask for a trial and he may enjoy putting these women through this again. i'm sorry to say. >> nice to see you. we'll keep talking to you about these fascinating cases. >> they are. >> it would be nice if those women could get a break. 21 minutes after the hour. is google taking on another tech giant? why it could be music to the ears of the serve engines fans. how a group of teens became unlikely heros on prom night. that's coming up. you're watching "starting point." smoothes, lifts, defies?

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welcome back to "starting point." i'm christine romans minding your business this morning. the european union economy shrinking with it back in recession compared to the united states where the economy is growing at 2.5%. looking at europe's two biggest economies, france is now in recession and germany avoided it. because the two power houses are struggling it's a sign the entire region may be stuck? a recessionary trend. here at home stocks are set for a flat open after closing at record highs yesterday. developing this morning, only one american company has signed onto a global pact to improve safety in bangladesh clothing factories. american retailers like gap are

reluctant to sign because it is legally binding. walmart says it will inspect all of its factories in bangladesh on its own but walmart is hiring its own inspectors falls short and walmart didn't know clothes were being made at a factory where 112 workers died in a fire last year. google is planning to launch a subscription music streaming service as soon as today. various reports say google reached deals with universal music to license songs. the new service will be a challenge to spotify. 26 minutes after the hour right now. ahead on "starting point," angelina jolie inspiring millions of women to not only get checked for the gene. >> my kids would always have a

mother. always. >> zoraida sambolin with her own powerful story sat down with a group of women who have lived through a double mast eectommas. and prince harry takes on american baseball. could he be the next new york yankee? would he look good in pinstripes? you're watching "starting point." promotes digestive healt, and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits, 1 super fiber. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits, welwhere new york state is... investing one billion dollars to attract and grow business. where companies like geico are investing

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welcome back to "starting point," everyone. >> leila fowler's 12-year-old brother will be in court today facing charges in the stabbing death of his sister. the children's stepmother was not at home when she dialed 911. >> my children are at home alone and a man just ran out of my

house. my older son was in the bathroom and my daughter started screaming. when he came off there was a man outside of my house. >> of course. how old are your kids? >> 12 and 9. >> the fowler family hired a defense team to represent their son. they visited the boy tuesday at a juvenile detention center. >> he's actually doing very well right now. as well as can be expected in these really difficult times. >> leila fowler's brother will be charged as a juvenile. russia is calling an arrest of a u.s. diplomat a cold war provocation. u.s. embassy employee ryan christopher fogle tried to recruit an officer and was caught red handed with spy gear. so far there's been no comment from the u.s. embassy. the state department will only say that an officer at the embassy in moscow was briefly

detained and then released. his plan was to dribble a soccer ball 10,000 miles from seattle to brazil in time for the 2014 world cup but tragically he made it only as far as lincoln, city, oregon. he was struck and killed by a pickup truck while walking along a highway on the oregon coast. before leaving on a trip, he spoke to cnn affiliate kcpq. >> i'll be surrounded by new and interesting people all the time. the road will be long and lonely and i will utilize podcasts as much as possible. >> he was out to promote the project that donates soccer balls to kids in developing countries. prince harry has a charity polo match today. the british royal stepped up to the plate in harlem yesterday going 3 for 3 hitting everything that was thrown at him

yesterday. not bad for the prince given that baseball is not his game. the british royal impressed hurricane sandy ravaged new jersey and he was impressed by the american spirit. >> it's fantastic. american spirit everyone getting together and making things right. >> it puts smiles on peachople' faces that they get to meet the prince. it was cool that he came and helped support what happened in hurricane sandy. >> that girl put smiles on our faces. >> the prince's visit is dubbed harry's rehab tour. last time he was in the united states, naked photos of him at a las vegas hotel surfaced on the internet. this one has been a little bit different. the woman who survived 17 days buried beneath rubble from a factory collapse in bangladesh is speaking exclusively to cnn. rescuers found her alive and well. she's now recovering at a military hospital and describes what it was like when she was finally found.

remarkably she suffered no broken bones or serious injuries. angelina jolie revealed yesterday she had both breasts removed as a preventive measure to reduce her breast cancer risk. for us here at cnn, it hits close to home. zoraida sambolin is here to share her personal story. good morning. >> angelina jolie's candor inspired me. it's been five weeks since i was diagnosed with breast cancer. i have decided to have a double mastectomy as well. and now we would like to focus on empowerment. talk to your doctor. talk to each other. it could save your life. it could maybe just make you feel better as it did with me. we brought together four women who became empowered patients and we are hoping that they will now be a source of inspiration to you and to all of you that are struggling with a cancer diagnosis. all right. so angelina jolie comes out with this amazing op-ed piece that she has had a preventive double

mastectomy. i just want you all to chime in on how you took that news when you found out. >> well, i found out pretty early as i was getting the kids ready for school and i kind of heard it on the tv. i said, well, we don't share the gene for legs or genes for getting skinny after you have many pregnancies, but we do share one gene and it's this one. >> making a decision to have the double mastectomy was the no-brainer. it was the easiest decision. for me what type of reconstruction i was going to have was a much harder decision. >> i feel shallow. it was a hard decision for me. >> you were at a different time a little bit. >> a little bit. i was 27. the word mastectomy wasn't in the culture. >> by nature as journalists we are control freaks. we control everything and know how it will happen and plan it and all of that. that's been a big struggle for me is losing control.

the only thing that i can control is i decided to have a double mastectomy and so that to me was complicated. how did you all feel about that, about that lack of control? >> well, i felt that i did have control and like angelina jolie i could take care of this now instead of sitting around and waiting for cancer, which is how i felt. i felt like a ticking time bomb. i didn't want to sit around and wait for cancer. now i don't have to wait around to be a survivor. >> it's so hard. i survived. my mother didn't have that choice. it was such a crazy cancer and it was such a strong cancer. it was going to kill her. we never knew she was going to die. she was so strong that she never got sick in front of us. when she did pass away, what? what do you mean our mother is not here? that wasn't happening to my kids. my kids were always going to have a mother here. always. >> i want to deal with this brca jean. the test is expensive.

almost $3,000. >> i thought it was even more when we took it. our insurance covered it. >> why? >> because you had a history, a strong history of it? >> i think because we were in a special surveillance program. >> i found out through 23 and me which is an at home generalit c genetic test. i wasn't testing positive even though my sister had breast cancer. i had forgotten about it by the time the results came back. i was shocked that my sister had breast cancer but i had the gene. >> to me the decision was not simple. it was in a sense that my first -- when i got diagnosed by my first team are doctors they were talking mastectomy. i walked out saying cut them out. can i do it tomorrow and then i got a second opinion and started thinking differently. i thought about my kids right away and fear of not being there in the future. that's powerful. >> that touched me with angelina jolie. >> from that standpoint, it is a

no-brainer. >> this is what makes me so sad is that women have to think we're vain. so many women say to me i feel so vain. i lost my hair. you're not vain. that's a horrible thing to lose your hair. >> that to me -- i was embarrassed by how difficult that decision was. >> it's a terrible decision to have to make. it's terrible. >> so it makes you start thinking about your sexuality. i have thought more about than i ever have before in my life. how this will affect that. >> you'll get through all of the drains and the yuckiness and the surgery and then that will be part of your past. and you won't think about that again. i moved on and you don't look back. >> you're different now. >> with clothes on and a bathing suit on, nobody knows. >> what helped me is i buy pretty bras. i could buy bras i couldn't buy before. i buy the prettiest bras and feel pretty in them. >> you're no less feminine

before or after. femininity comes from within. >> it's normal to be overwhelmed by the mortality of it and what you did makes me think that you know how to take care of yourself. you have already probably saved a life as a result of your experience. >> those are incredibly brave women. i'm so grateful they shared their stories and so much more because they actually showed me their mastectomies because at the end of the day the reconstruction all of them have reconstruction i needed to see that. i needed to understand it. not just in pictures. now i want to bring in someone who has been very important to me throughout this journey. she's my doctor. my second opinion. the chief of breast services at memorial sloan kettering cancer center. thank you for being here. i want to start right without with the brca gene test. three women i talked to tested positive and made this decision to go ahead and have a double mastectomy. is that typically the decision that you would recommend? >> women with brca have a high

risk of breast cancer development but women need to know there are other options. if you are done with your family, you have your ovaevarie removed and it reduces risk in half. some are followed more closely and if cancer occurs it's detected early. most women don't have brca. what we're talking a lot about brca because of angelina jolie, most women even those with a mother or a sister with breast cancer don't have that gene. >> i just want to clear up one other thing. we talked about the cost of that test. $3,000, $4,000. one of the women in that piece said she did a spit test that was $99. it came back positive for her. i thought that's a huge difference in price. is that an option? >> i can't tell you about the accuracy of that spit test to know but i think women should understand if you have a reason to have a brca test that most insurance companies will cover that cost. >> here's a sensitive subject

that i'm going to let everybody in on. when i left my first set of doctors, my decision was i'm having a double mastectomy. there's all there is to it. it's complicated for them to follow. i'm done with it. when i went to see you on the other hand you have a very different opinion about how women should deal with breast cancer. i want you to talk about that. that diagnosis and the options and how you present them. >> so now we're talking about women who have cancer in one breast and who don't have a brca gene. in the united states we're seeing incredible increase in double mastectomies in those women when the risk of getting cancer in the other breast is going down. the medicine we use to treat the cancer you have reduces that risk. it's important for women to understand that having their other breast removed does not prolong their life. many women believe that's true. unfortunately it's not. breast cancer doesn't spread from breast to breast.

removing one breast doesn't reduce the risk of your cancer spreading. it means more surgery. it obviously means a smaller chance of ever getting breast cancer but again that chance is not zero. so you have to ask yourself why do you want to have it done and if understanding those things that still feels like the right choice for you, then it's the right choice for you to make. >> i know that when we had our conversations, fear came up repeated repeatedly. the idea of i am scared about what is happening now. i'm scared about what my future holds and you said fear should not be a motivator in making this decision. >> i think that's true. i think something you said earlier about loss of control is very important. people don't like to lose control. they certainly don't like doctors telling them what to do so this is something you can still have control over. it's true. surgery is a bad way to treat fear. knowledge is power here. understanding your level of risk i think is the best approach to

fear even though we know we don't always make these decisions logically. >> i agree with you that knowledge is power. when i sat with you, you talked me through this. i went for another opinion. my third one at northwestern in chicago and she actually decided to show me also. this is exactly what you're going to go through. what should i expect as a patient from my doctor? >> i think what you should expect is first of all to get the information on what are your options? what does each option involve and what are the outcomes? that's the very basic thing. then what your doctor would like to know from you to help you make this decision as much as possible is what's most important to you and what are your concerns because we know in today's world of access to information everybody comes to us knowing as much as i've known about breast cancer having spent my whole entire life studying it because they were on the internet for 20 minutes. some of what you read is just simply not true.

if you're concerned about radiation, for example, ask. ask the questions. what are you concerned about? take the time to meet with the radiation oncologist. there's no emergency to be in the operating room tomorrow when you're diagnosed with breast cancer. >> all right. i so appreciate you. i appreciate you coming in this morning to clear some of these things up for us. >> thanks very much. >> we should tell you while you were talking, there was one piece of news about angelina jolie. "people" magazine is reporting that jolie will have her ovaries removed as well. we knew this was a distinct possibility. jolie, "people" magazine reports will have the ovaries removed. ahead on "starting point," what are the chances of this? a foul ball goes to the same place in the stands twice. two fans handle the situation very differently. and then these teens may have the best prom story of all time. how they helped save seven lives

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welcome back, everyone. shortly after the boston

marathon bombings, red sox dh david ortiz had a message for the terrorists. this is our [ bleep ] city. >> now he's using the same color language to raise money for bombing victims. joe carter joining us this morning with the bleacher report. good morning. >> good morning. ortiz is going to take that memorable quote and put it on baseball bats and put it on charity. just after the boston bombings, ortiz stood in front of the fenway crowd live on tv and said exactly what was on his mind. in addition to the quote this is our [ bleep ] city, it has a silhouette of ortiz pointing to the sky and words never forget and boston strong are on those bats. for 125 bucks you can get one that's unsigned. $500 and you can get one that's autographed and buy them at big

pappy.com. the nicks were ice cold. indiana's george hill on the other hand was solid again. he's really been the driving force behind the pacers playoff success. after the game carmelo gives his take on the knicks situation. >> at this point, you know, it's do or die. we got to win the next game and take it one game at a time. but there's no need for nobody to hang their heads at this point. we still got a game to play. we still got to play basketball. >> all right. the most competitive series you can say going right now has got to be the spurs and warriors. last night it was anything but competitive. the old man spurs ran the floor like they were in their early 20s again. they hammered golden state one of the youngest teams in the nba by 18 points. san antonio is now in control of that series up three games to two. game six shifts back to oakland.

that's thursday night. this next piece of tape proves not everyone is built for perform under pressure. at the indians/phillies game a fan sitting upper deck reaches over the railing and snags a foul ball barehanded. great job, right? unbelievable catch. the very next pitch another foul ball is hit to nearly the exact same spot but this time the fan just drops it. embarrassing considering the guy who caught the ball is just a few seats over and the philly fans didn't let him forget that unmemb unmemorable moment because they booed him as philly fans do to people. i hat to rag on the guy. it's hard to catch a ball like that. dumb luck that to get caught by a guy a few seats away one play earlier. >> getting booed by phillies fans wasn't enough, we're showing it again this morning. salt in the wound. thanks so much. ahead on "starting point,"

ash spewing out of a dangerous volcano in mexico. the surrounding towns are on my alert. >> find out how brave teams helped rescue car crash victims right before their prom. look at them. you're watching "starting point." hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios

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welcome back to starting point. the woman who survived 17 days buried beneath rubble from a factory collapse in bangladesh is speaking exclusively to cnn. rescuers miraculously found her alive and well. she is now recovering at a military hospital and describes what it was like when she was

finally found. >> translator: suddenly i heard the call to prayer. then i heard sounds. i heard the sounds of voices and i wondered where is the sound coming from? where is the sound coming from? i was really, really happy and i said, god, save me, god. >> remarkably she suffered no broken bones or serious injuries. mexican authorities are getting ready for possible evacuations now that a volcano near mexico city has started blowing steam. hundreds of soldiers are now in the area to help out in case the volcano erupts. it has been quiet in recent years. its last major eruption took place in the year 2000. >> what you didn't see was john berman practicing that name for three minutes in the break. very well done. >> all right. let's move to florida now where some high school students are praised for their heroic efforts on prom night. they were all dressed up but the teenage heroes didn't think twice about helping the victims of a devastating auto accident.

>> where's the baby? >> reporter: a date with disaster. 20 high school students on their way to prom find themselves caught in the middle of a horrific accident. >> that's the baby? >> when their limousine came to a screeching halt, narrowly missing this flipped van, with groceries strewn across the interstate, with five adults and two children trapped inside. >> we're in the limo and all dancing having a good time. decide to go to prom and all of a sudden the bus slams on his brakes. i was the first to think call 911 so i stepped to the side and called 911. i was calm. >> reporter: undaunted decked out in tuxes and gowns the teens jumped into action. high school senior peter kim was one of the first on the scene. >> i opened up the trunk and then the first person i saw was the 12-year-old or 11-year-old boy. i grabbed him and then i gave him -- set him down and told him to sit down and he would be all

right. >> reporter: peter, seen here, carrying the youngest child, who he pulled out of the vehicle. >> she was laying there and, like, it got to me a little bit because she wasn't moving at all. and i saw her baby girl just laying there. and i went to go reach for her and she turned around and said take my baby. take my baby. save her. >> the limo driver along with his young but brave passengers are credited with saving lives. >> we pushed the van and pulled the baby out. then we started pulling the mother out from the back of the truck. >> reporter: all of the injured taken to an area hospital and expected to make a full recovery. the teen heroes went on a bit disheveled but still with high hopes. >> we were okay and happy to know everyone was alive and we enjoyed our night. >> good for them. i just love that peter kim holding the baby. i got her. it's all right. >> they looked so nice too. they are the real kings and queens of that prom no doubt.

ahead on "starting point" one percenters who appear to be 100% shameless. reportedly hiring the same old tour guides so their kids can cut the lines at disney world. >> boston's fire chief and his handling of the boston marathon scene. hear what he is saying about it. that is top of the hour. you're watching "starting point." [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isn't a thing at all? it's lots of things. all waking up. ♪

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good wednesday morning. >> our starting point this morning a vote of no confidence. 13 out of 14 deputies calling out boston's fire chief for his handling of the boston marathon bombings. what they say he didn't do in a live report. we're getting word cleveland kidnapping and rape suspect ariel castro may plead not guilty. does his case stand a chance? plus this is hard to believe. wealthy parents accused of hiring disabled tour guides to give them an advantage on amusement park lines. how does this happen? is coca-cola's secret out? we'll talk with one man who thinks he found the top-secret recipe. it's wednesday, may 15th.

"starting point" begins right now. new developments this morning in the aftermath of the boston marathon bombings. the chief of the boston fire department is being criticized now for his handling of the crisis. cnn's jason carroll is live in boston. >> reporter: a lot of infighting is going on between the fire chief and some of his deputies within the department. basically what happened is the deputy chiefs, 13 of 14, wrote a letter to the mayor of boston saying they basically had no confidence in the fire chief because of the way he responded to the boston marathon. basically saying that when he got here, got to the scene, he did not officially assume command but, of course, that's because of a change in policy that the fire chief made back in september. let me first read you part of the letter. the letter says in part, at a

time when the city of boston needed every first responder to take decisive action chief abraira failed to get involved in operational decision making or show any leadership. you can consider this letter a vote of no confidence in chief abraira. once again, i spoke to the chief early this morning, called him at home, john. spoke to him about this, this whole situation. he basically feels as though the deputy chiefs have never accepted him because he is an outsider. he came into the city from dallas about two years ago, made some changes in policy within the department, he says, that were not popular, and he says this is a result of that. he gave me a quote and it says, in their estimation they believe that if you don't assume command you don't have responsibility there for what goes on. i tried to explain to them, if i'm on the scene, i'm still responsible. that's it. but they don't believe it. and one thing that he points out that i think a lot of people in

the city or in boston also realize, this has nothing to do with the first responders. the first responders were generally and wildly i can say supported for how they came out here, were here at the scene. so this has nothing to do with the rank and file, the first responders. this is basically an internal argument if you will with upper management. basically the mayor also weighing in on this basically saying that he has full confidence in the fire commissioner. the fire commissioner of course is the one who appointed abraira and whatever he decides to do. what you're looking at now, sadly, is a lot of infighting and bickering going on within the boston fire department. >> you make a great point. the first responders in boston, law enforcement, medical personnel, they save countless lives. there is no doubt about it. >> absolutely. >> now these disputes within the fire department very, very public and scathing as well. jason carroll in boston for us this morning, thanks so much. as the fbi opens a criminal investigation into the irs's targeting of conservative political groups, members of congress are demanding answers

and action. president obama says the irs behavior is intolerable and inexcusable. and those responsible for it will be held accountable. attorney general eric holder can expect questions from lawmakers about the irs controversy when he testifies in the house in just a few hours. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, christine. last night after president obama had a chance to review that inspector general report about the irs, he issued a statement. the white house put out a statement from him saying that the irs must apply the law in a fair and impartial way. and the report shows some employees failed that test. he promised he'll have his treasury secretary hold accountable those who are responsible. the internal revenue service is facing a criminal investigation after a watch dog report found the agency targeted conservative groups starting in 2010. the agency's inspector general found the irs used inappropriate

criteria that identified for review tea party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status based upon their names or policy positions instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention. after reading the report tuesday night, president obama called the practice intolerable and inexcusable after promising action monday. >> people have to be held accountable and it's got to be fixed. >> reporter: irs officials told investigators they acted on their own without influence from outside groups. the report says managers were ineffective in overseeing lower level irs employees who didn't have sufficient knowledge of the rules governing tax-exempt organizations. it's not the only controversy the obama administration is facing. expect fireworks today when the republican-led house judiciary committee grills attorney general eric holder over the justice department's subpoenaed phone records of journalists at the associated press. >> this administration has put a

real value on the rule of law and our values as americans. i think the actions that we have taken are consistent with both. >> reporter: tuesday reporters questioned holder in a medicare fraud event and peppered white house press secretary jay carney with questions at the white house briefing. >> the president is a strong defender of the first amendment and a firm believer in the need for the press to be unfettered. >> reporter: republicans are seizing on these new controversies. >> but we do know this. we can't count on the administration to be forthcoming about the details of the scandal because so far they've been anything but. >> it lies at the president's feet. these are things going on within his administration targeting opponents. >> i've never seen anything quite like this except in the past during the nixon years. >> people who make those kind of comparisons need to check their history. >> reporter: the white house is also plagued right now by questions about whether it downplayed the role of terrorism

in that september attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi as the president was on the campaign trail as were his surrogates talking about making claims. this administration had decimated al qaeda. this recently has turned from a bit of a republican obsession to main stream news but i will tell you, christine, this white house is much more concerned about these current controversies involving the seizure of the phone records from the ap by the department of justice and especially the irs scandal. these are things that very much concern this white house. >> all right. thank you brianna. lawyers for ariel castro insist their client is not a monster and are revealing how they plan to launch his defense. pamela brown is tracking the latest developments for us on this case. we hear you have new details this morning. >> reporter: yeah. that's right, john. we've been talking to sources and we're learning new information about the treatment

of amanda berry, michelle knight, and gina dejesus. according to sources i spoke with there were varying degrees of treatment in that ariel castro's behavior toward the women evolved over time. we've learned that amanda berry the woman who fathered his child was treated slightly better than gina dejesus and michelle knight. and we've learned that, you know, all the girls were treated poorly, but that there were varying degrees of treatment and that this is all relative considering the conditions that they were living in. also, we've learned from a source that they were all under weight but that one of them, michelle knight, was castro's punching bag and that she suffered vision loss and joint and muscle damage as a result of the abuse she endured. according to my sources it is clear, though, that all of these women have a long road ahead and a long road of treatment ahead of them. >> all right. pamela brown in cleveland for us this morning. thanks so much. >> we're expecting a ruling today whether there is enough evidence to bring the murder

case of 6-year-old apong pace to trial. 52-year-old pedro hernandez confessed last year to kelg him. his attorney told the associated press he is schizophrenia and bipolar and made several claims during hours of police questioning. the unnamed soldier was assigned to a program designed to prevent sexual assaults in the military. cnn has learned prostitution charges in the case are a distinct possibility. the sergeant is under investigation for pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault, and maltreatment of subordinates. a big day in court for o.j. simpson. he will testify today in an attempt to get out of prison. the disgraced football star trying to get his robbery, assault, and kidnapping convictions thrown out. simpson claims his old lawyer was ineffective and told him he was within his rights to take

back property he believed had been stolen from him as long as it was done without trespass or physical force. simpson did not testify during his 1995 murder trial or the 2008 case that landed him in prison. >> it will be fascinating to see him on the stand. >> one of the cocounsels testified yesterday that he really wanted o.j. simpson to testify in the 2008 case. interesting. ten minutes after the hour. ahead on "starting point" thinking of rich people and a bad reputation, wealthy new york city moms allegedly hiring disabled tour guides so they can skip the long lines at disney world. next, honestly, the astonishing cost behind what many are calling this despicable behavior. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured.

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welcome back to "starting point." according to an upcoming book about wealthy new york parents some manhattan mothers are hiring disabled tour guides because it allows them to jump to the front of the line at disney world. >> cnn has reached out to

disney, a company called dream tours florida which at least one parent claims provided this black market tour service. neither organization has responded. the upcoming book is called primates of manhattan motherhood. the author is here now. this story has so many people buzzing about this, the idea of the 1% of the 1% hiring disabled tour guides to get through disney. is that really happening? >> it really is happening. and, you know, as you know, i'm a social researcher, and i live in what i consider a pretty exotic tribe. i live among the privileged and powerful parents of new york city, and once in a while when you're a social researcher in this world, i mean, i live in the world. i'm fascinated by it, and once in a while i uncover a practice that is truly surprising. this was sure one of them. >> you're writing about this in your book which is coming out. "the new york post" also wrote about it this week and quoted a mother who apparently engaged in

the practice with a group called dream tours florida and this mother said, my daughter waited one minute to get on it's a small world. the other kids had to wait 2 1/2 hours. you can't go to disney without a tour concierge. this is how the 1% does disney. >> is it a lens into a certain kind of life? >> it is absolutely that. you know, as a social researcher it is truly not my job to judge and i've watched as people talk about this story and the stories become a springboard for conversation. the perspective of the social would researcher would be this is a tribal behavior. when you hire these guides what you're doing is affirming you are a member of this group of people that exchanges this quasi-secret privileged information. you're part of that exchange economy. >> you think you're better than everyone. obviously. you don't need to wait 2 1/2 hours. >> i think this woman's description of this is how the 1% does disney was accurate. how ironic she was being, i can't say, but i think it is an

accurate description that these people are doing disney and many other things in a different way. >> there are two things going on here. we're talking about the top echelon. they have a lot of money. they can pay for legitimate v.i.p. tours. why are they hiring this disabled group? >> that's right. the way that the parents that i interviewed, and it is not just moms but dads as well, privileged parents, and the way that many of them described it to me was that the v.i.p. tour guides who are officially with disney cost more money and only get you speed passes whereas if you hire a handicapped black market disney guy you get additional privileges which is you go to the front of the line because this is disney policy that disabled people and their parties don't wait. again, on top of that, the privilege that these people are also getting is that they're sort of demonstrating their affiliation with this exclusive tribe of people who do these things. when they hire these guides they're saying, i'm one of you. this is the way we do things.

we are different from other people. that's part of what is going on here. >> it is just so outrenageous. >> we have reached out to disney for a statement and they haven't responded. are they aware as far as you know that these outside groups are doing this and people from manhattan are doing this? >> i would presume this practice is an open secret in manhattan and it was inevitable this information would get out and that disney would try to address it but i should say this is the tip of the iceberg. this is a town where people have $4,000 birthday parties for 4-year-olds. this is a town where we can hire a play candidate consultant to make sure our children are doing play dates and learning to play the right way. so this is a very particular world in which parents like parents everywhere are trying to do what's best for their children but in manhattan what's best is a different animal all together. >> you make it sound like such a great place. wow. >> wow. >> by the way, not everyone lives like that here but it is alarming to hear that some people do. thank you so much. >> thank you for having me. >> you're my only play date

consultant. i just ask you. >> i let them fight and wrestle. that's what i do. that's a play date. ahead on starting point this amazing story. buried for 17 days under rubble the teen who survived the deadly bangladesh factory collapse speaks for the first time. she tells the world what she will never do again. a cnn exclusive is next on "starting point." i always wanted to design a bike that honored those who serve our country. and geico gave me that opportunity. now naturally, we wanted it to be powerful,

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welcome back to "starting point." we are hearing for the first time from the 19-year-old who spent 17 days trapped in the rubble of that collapsed factory building in bangladesh. reshmah is now recovering after the unbelievable near death

experience and talking exclusively to cnn. >> reporter: pulled out of the rubble after 17 harrowing days, her rescue was hailed a miracle. we meet her at a military hospital where she is recovering. no broken bones or serious injuries, but she is still weak. we're asked not to rattle or move her. from her hospital bed, she describes her unimaginable ordeal. >> translator: i keep sleeping off and on. i couldn't see anything. it was so dark. >> reporter: cracks in the building had already been detected but i asked if she had been warned not to go to work. >> translator: no, no one told me. everyone was looking to see which parts were cracked, so i went in and i see that there was a wall where a little bit is cracked. the manager said this is just water damage and you guys can

work. >> reporter: day after day as the rescue efforts carried on above her she lay in pitch dark xaf a looking for food and water. >> translator: there was a hole. i didn't know if it was dirty water or what type of water. i was thirsty so i drank. >> reporter: she had no idea how long she had been inside. i asked if she heard the people outside during the rescue efforts. she heard nothing. and saw nothing. until the 17th day when it all changed. >> translator: suddenly i heard the call to prayer. then i heard sounds. i heard the sounds of voices and i wondered, where is the sound coming from? where is the sound coming from? i was really, really happy and i said, god, save me, god. >> reporter: images of reshma's rescue were seen the world over. rescuers had thrown in a flashlight allowing her to find a fresh set of clothes to change into. >> translator: the day i got out

all of my clothes had torn off me and i didn't have many clothes on. how was i going to come out in front of all of those people? >> reporter: she tells me she is uncertain of her future but knows she is not going back to the garment business. trncht everybody, please pray for me. >> reporter: with the world's eyes upon her many already are. >> she looks so young and she has a baby but the truth of the matter is for many women, 90% of the garment industry in bangladesh is young women and that is their only job opportunity making $38 a month on average and many of the women have to borrow money to get to the end of the month to pay expenses. a european trade commissioner says that is modern day slavery. >> i can't get over how good she looks. it is an amazing story of survival. >> you're right. ahead, angelina jolie's stunning revelation has inspired millions of women to share their story including miss d.c. her brave decision next. is coca-cola's secret out? why someone believes he found

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i'm john berman. >> i'm christina romans. angelina jolie's startling decision to have a double mastectomy is inspiring countless women across the country facing the same difficult decision. one of those women, the reigning miss district of columbia is also taking this very private matter public. >> she is brave. 24-year-old ellen rose shocked many last november when she announced her future plans to get a double mastectomy just before competing in the 2013 miss america competition. rose has a rare chromosomal disease which may predispose her to breast cancer. after losing her mother, grandmother, and great aunt to the disease, she says she is not taking any chances.

allyn is joining us now from d.c. thank you so much for joining us. we really appreciate it. >> good to be here. >> there are a lot of women out there today who have a family history or are carriers of the gene wondering if surgery is something they should consider as well. how did you come to this difficult choice and can you tell us a little bit about this abnormality that you have? >> sure. my dad sat me down when i was 18 and broke the idea of having the surgery. at first i was very averse to it. i thought it was very radical. but the more i did my research and i found out my mom was diagnosed with this disease at 27. i'm turning 25 this month. that's pretty soon for me. this disease took my grandmother. it took my great aunt and so many women in my family and i didn't want to, you know, run the risk of having that happen to me, too. i'm a carrier of a syndrome which hasn't been directly linked to breast cancer, but just the sort of rare shift in my genes, i think, having that coupled with having a really

strong heridity link to breast cancer was something where i thought this might be a good decision for me. >> what about your dad weighing in? because we don't often hear that, dad saying, hey, this is something i really want you to have. >> right. >> how much did that influence you? >> well, i mean, my dad was absolutely my, you know, my guiding light and my confidante growing up after the loss of my mom, and so to have him come, i really respect my dad's opinion and it was something where i knew to make the decision for myself but it was great to have the encouragement and support of my father. >> you are so young, 24 years old. do you feel ready for this? are you having any doubts? >> there are some days i have doubts especially when you have people who want to attack you for the decision you're making, but, you know -- >> tell me about that. tell me about people attacking you for the decision that you're making. >> i think a lot of it is not necessarily that i'm making the decision it's whether or not people think i'm making the decision for the right reasons. a lot of people in the pageant

community said i came out with this right before the miss america pageant to garner publicity and press and, you know, i made this decision years ago. i just was lucky that i was afforded the opportunity to share this message on a national stage through the miss america program. but, you know, there's always going to be nay sayers when you put yourself in the public eye so you have to take it with a grain of salt. at the end of the day it is my body and my decision whether i choose to have the surgery or if i decide at sometime i don't want to have the surgery it is my body and my decision. >> i think that is very wise you're saying that because it is a very personal choice and i think our responsibility is to support whatever decision it is that's made. i want to know how you felt about reading angelina's piece on tuesday morning. >> it was a very poignant piece for me and something that i think really inspired me to be confident in my decision. the thing that really was the catalyst for me was when i read my mom's journals and she spoke to me about what it was like to,

you know, to know and fear that you might have to lose your children or you leave your children. and i think angelina spoke so perfectly about that. she wants to be around for her children some day. at the end of the day it is not about her looks, her vanity. it's about life, being here for her family. and i think it's nice to have somebody in hollywood say that's what's important. >> have you got any struggles with your look, your femininity, the whole issue of vanity? >> obviously i'm full-time model. you know, i work in the beauty industry as some would say competing in the pageant world, but, you know, my mom had one breast my entire life. she lost her right breast at 27. that didn't stop my mom from living a fruitful life and so i think it was, she was a really great example for me that, you know, breasts or no breasts you live your life according to your own prerogative. and so, you know, it's scary sometimes but i think having her as an example has been

empowering for me. >> you look like your mom so much. we just had your pictures side to side, pictures of her when she was younger. beautiful woman. >> i think so. >> now, we agree. so angelina kept her decision really private until after the surgery. you've chosen to go through this personal process in a very public way as have i. any regrets? >> sometimes i wonder what it would be like to have this be a little more private, but i think when you're given the opportunity to share a message, you do it. and it's not always going to be easy and it might not always be a decision that you're totally onboard with, but, you know, i think that we've had the opportunity to save a lot of lives and to tell women they can take charge in their health care. and that's such an important message. and i think somebody like angelina coming out and being so empowered, so strong, inspires women everywhere in all aspects of their health care. >> can i tell you, you, too, at 24 years of age are so strong and, you know, just incredible.

your story is amazing and the way you tell it is really special as well. so thank you for sharing it with us. i really appreciate that. >> thank you. >> i could learn a thing or two from a 24-year-old, huh? >> she also talks about how her mother was diagnosed at 27, had one breast removed and then later died from breast cancer that came up in the other breast and her father had wanted her mother to have both breasts removed. you can see now why her father would be such an important role model for her. >> why she would listen and pay attention. >> absolutely. >> she had to go through it, too. unbelievable. >> thanks, zoraida. it's 35 minutes after the hour. let's get to some of the other news this morning. a philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of first-degree murder will not face the death penalty. dr. kermit gosnell waived his right to appeal the three convictions for the deaths of three babies who were born alive in his abortion clinic. he'll be sentenced today to life in prison without chance of parole. the navy is preparing for the next generation of u.s. military drones, one that can take off and land on u.s.

aircraft carriers. the x 47 b is the newest drone in the pentagon's arsenal. cnn was there for the aircraft's first test launch or the deck of the u.s.s. george h.w. bush. the real test will come in a few weeks when the drone will attempt to land on a moving aircraft carrier at sea. that is the most difficult maneuver in military aviation. prince harry ends his u.s. visit today with the charity polo match in greenwich, connecticut. there is little doubt prince harry's u.s. tour has been a big hit. the british royal stepped up to the plate in harlem yesterday hitting everything yankee slugger mark teixeira threw at him. >> the british royal also impressed hurricane ravaged new jersey. max foster has been following his every move. >> reporter: there have been precious few opportunities for americans to come close to

british royalty. prince harry on this tour. but this was one of them. it was an upbeat atmosphere for the serious message. new jersey governor chris christie introducing harry to first responders who coped heroically during and after hurricane sandy. >> it puts smiles on people's faces to know they're going to get to meet the prince, so it was really cool that he came and helped support what happened in hurricane sandy. >> everyone gets together and makes things right. it's fantastic. >> reporter: then a quick drop-in on his prime minister who was at an event to promote british industry. then on to a baseball field in harlem. his pitcher was no less than mark teixeira of the new york yankees. turned out to be quite a nifty

player in the end. he is a bit of a cricket player so maybe it was that. this is really about promoting a cause and getting young kids from deprived areas into sports coaching and give them all the confidence that comes with that. harry's causes also need money so he closed out tuesday with a fundraiser with specially invited manhattan donors. >> he's a party guy, a technology guy. he comes from royalty. but he is a real person. >> the similarities between iron man and prince harry are similar. >> reporter: and today another fundraiser. this time in the form of a polo match in greenwich, connecticut. it is the final event in what's been dubbed harry's rehab tour. max foster, cnn, new york. >> you saw the prince in new jersey yesterday. a powerful symbol of the damage caused by hurricane sandy there has now been torn down. the jet star rollercoaster in seaside heights fell into the ocean during the storm last october. yesterday a crane was used to finish the demolition.

crews are scrambling to get the seaside heights amusement area ready for visitors by memorial day weekend marking the unofficial start of course to the summer tourist season. >> man finishing what mother nature started there. ahead, did a georgia man accidently stumble upon the secret recipe for coca-cola? we're talking with him live to find out about his big find, next. it has received an impressive 13 tony om nations including best lead actor and score. we'll speak with actor billy porter and composer cyndi lauper. have you heard of her? about the hit show. [ male announcer ] does your prescription medication give you the burden of constipation?

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. welcome back to "starting point." earlier we told you about a book claiming wealthy new york parents are hiring disabled tour guides to help them jump to the front of the line at disney world. one parent claimed they used a company called dream tours florida for this service. we're now hearing from dream tours in a statement on their website. they say, quote, due to inaccurate press and slander, dream tours is not offering v.i.p. tours at this time. our focus has primarily always been providing magical vacations for adults with special needs and helping their dreams to come

true. and we reached out to disney. they have not given us a comment. all right. a georgia couple who purchased a box full of letters at an estate sale now believes one of those letters contains a recipe from 1943, a recipe that has been kept secret since the 19th century. the secret formula for coca-cola. the couple is attempting to sell this recipe on ebay with a starting price of $5 million. or you can buy it now for $15 million. cliff and arlene klug join us now from their home in georgia. good morning. nice to see both of you. please, tell me. how do you think this is the real recipe? where did you get it? why do you think it's real? >> arlene found it. she collects paperwork and was digging through massive piles of paper and this fell out. there is a lot of reference to coca-cola and original recipe. if you go to the second page on ebay where i have it listed, it

shows that they talk about on page 83 of the extractor there is an original formula for coca-cola and they use it as a preparation document. the person who typed this letter saw the original document so coke released a statement and they said through the years many have tried to crack the secret formula but no one has been able to produce the real thing. the real formula is safely tucked away in a vault at the world of coca-cola in atlanta. i have to say actually to me that seems like a nondenial denial but what has coke told you about your discovery? >> coke hasn't talked to us. i called them before i listed it on ebay just to talk to them about it. they told me they would call me back in seven to ten business days. they don't gain anything. they don't gain anything by acknowledging my presence. if this is the correct formula and it is a real formula, then

they would never acknowledge it. supposedly there's only two the recipe and i don't think they're going to be willing to come forward with it. >> that is certainly an exciting find. the cnn cameras went to that vault we were telling you about with the world of kokkcoca-cola met with the archivist. this is what he told us. >> the formula for coca-cola has such power and over the imagination of the american public, there's been numerous times people have shown up with things that they are claiming to be the formula for coke. i know they're not but the only formula for coke is in the vault. however, what intrigues me is that the power that the formula, the power of the mystery, you know, the hopeful wish that maybe this is the formula. it's a discovery story. it's a story of wanting to find something that's going to be their treasure. because coca-cola is a treasure, you know, and the formula and

the fact that people associated with the treasure -- >> we can pull that sound down. let me ask you. do you think that someone is going to want to buy, really want to buy, spend millions of dollars for the real thing? >> well, i -- you were broken up there. i believe that his job is to dilute whatever we say. that's fine. i can certainly understand that. my job is not to bring down coca-cola or its recipe. i just think it's a historical document and i think it's interesting. >> can i ask you this? how did you come up with 5 million bucks? why charge 5 million bucks for it? >> well, when i put it on i wanted to put it for 20 million initially with a hundred million by now and it was more to draw attention to it than anything. no i haven't had any offers yet but you're more than welcome to make one. no problem. if ebay wouldn't allow me to do

it. they have a cap of 21 million. so i had to go through an interview process to list it and they, we agreed i'll put it out for 5 million and buy it now for 15 million. >> have you tried to make the recipe by the way? >> no. it is extremely complicated and there are things you just can't get or at least we don't know the resource for them. no. and i have no intention of ever making it. >> well, arlene, we love your passion for finding cool stuff at estate sales. certainly is a really great story. cliff, nice to meet you. >> good luck with that 5 million bucks. >> yeah. i take checks. >> okay. >> thanks a lot. >> thanks, cliff. >> bye-bye. cyndi lauper taking broadway by storm. we'll talk with her about her tony nomination for the hit "kinky boots" and also talk with the lead actor. >> wait until you see how

zoraida looks in those red boots. you won't believe it. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios

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♪ >> that's a scene from the new broadway hit "kinky boots" nominated for 13 tony awards more than any other show this year. cyndi lauper wrote the show's music and lyrics and is here with the star of the show billy porter nominated for best actor in a musical. cyndi and billy thank you for being here. congratulations. 13 nominations. you could make history also by being the first woman to win best original score.

so tell us what it felt like that moment when you knew when you got the call. >> i didn't get the call. i was watching. they told me to watch so i, you know, walked the dog and i was watching. to have broadway acknowledge me is such a big thing. >> my gosh. so emotional. >> it's a big thing. >> 13 must be your lucky number. 13 nominations. 2013. 30 years ago this year, this is the anniversary of the album that launched you to superst superstardom. >> and the record company at the time was on the 13th floor. >> no way. >> yeah. >> lucky 13. >> that's what i'm saying. >> did you know when you got involved in this that this was something special, something unique that could really have this kind of a reaction from people? >> when i read this and i saw what it was, it, you know, the sad thing is -- the drag queen is inconsequential to the real part of this story which is

about two men who are completely different from each other who actually are kind of wounded and they have like wounded birds. they have relationships with their fathers where they could never live up to expectations, unspoken expectations that haunt us all. that's what made me want to get involved, because the common denominator of everyone, you know, is family. and that, to me, was a big attraction. besides it was harvey foreststein and jerry mitchell. those are my friends and i could have fun. >> it must feel good to have your peers recognize you for this role. >> the last time i stepped foot on a broadway stage was 13 years ago. >> 13. >> whoa. >> lucky 13. >> 13. >> 13 years ago. >> my god. it means something, billy. >> tell me about the boots. >> the shoes alone.

>> what do you want to know? >> how does it feel to wear them? how do you get around in them so well? because you truly own those boots. >> well, i have to say they're very comfortable. they're designed and made by, you know, professional broadway shoe makers so they fit your feet specifically and they're very cushioned. >> you know i wanted to try them on. >> why don't you? >> can i? >> of course. >> okay. >> zoraida loves beautiful, big, tall shoes. >> i can try it. you know what? i have a big foot and i was looking at yours and i thought well maybe i could fit in these. >> let me help you. >> though i may have to turn, you're going to help snee fabulous. >> of course. >> we don't have a shoe horn. >> i thought that i actually -- here. i got it. i thought i actually had to try to get them -- love it. >> check that out. >> oh, wow. >> ha ah! yeah. >> woo hoo. >> look at that, billy. >> i think your legs are bigger than my legs.

okay. >> i'm not going to get x-rated. oh, okay. >> if you're going to wear them you have to have this. >> good for the ratings. >> you do a lot of dancing in these. >> yeah. dancing and twirling and swishing and bopping. >> i love them. >> it gets a little hot in there. >> you know, teps you lose weight. aerobic exercise. >> there we go. >> i love that, too. from london to milan stilettos, now we know stilettos are an ism. women know this. now you know this. >> i always knew that. >> he knew this. >> so nice to meet both of you. best of luck to you. >> thank you. >> can i keep them? >> you got to talk to -- >> just kidding.

>> thank you very much. >> thank you. [ male announcer ] erica had a rough day.

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good morning. welcome back to "starting point." check out this video from the top of the washington monument.

a worker wearing a helmet cam catching a bird's eye view. the monument has been closed since it was heavily damaged by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake back in august of 2011. a prom king and queen controversy brewing at a virginia high school after a male student nominated for prom queen and a female student nominated for prom king were named finalists. students at t.c. williams high in alexandria say the male student lobbied for queen and the female student ran for king to support him and some of the kids are okay with it. others not so much. >> people think that if a guy is running he should be running for prom king and not queen. >> i want her to be a queen but then again she gets replaced by a guy. >> i personally know both people the girl running for king and the guy running for queen. they're great people. >> cnn affiliate wjla spoke to the male student vying for prom queen and is reportedly uncomfortable with the attention and is considering dropping out.

the king and queen will be named during prom on june 1st. cnn newsroom with carol costello begins right now. good morning to you. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. what did they know and when did they know it? 40 years later that simple, iconic question from the watergate era once again hangs over the white house. some republicans are accusing the embattled obama administration of abusing its power and your trust. unlike anything we've seen in generations. >> never seen anything quite like this except in the past during the nixon years. >> i can tell you people who make those kind of comparisons need to check their history. >> this morning, though, double trouble. the irs accused of targeting and bullying the president's critics and the fbi investigating government snooping on a news